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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Review - The Time-Traveling Fashionista

THE TIME-TRAVELING FASHIONIST
Bianca Turetsky
Poppy

To the chagrin of her mom and best friend, 12 year old Louise would rather wear "old" vintage clothes than shop at the mall. When she attends a vintage clothing sale hosted by two eccentric women, she finds a beautiful dress that she thinks will be perfect for an upcoming school dance. She tries it on, against the advice of the sellers, and is instantly transported to the early 20th century. In the body of a famous actress and on board a dazzling cruise ship, Louise is determined to enjoy being someone else for a while until she finds out that the ship she's on board is the Titanic and she has to find a way to get back to her real life before the shipwreck.

Louise is a likable main character and her story is an enjoyable one. The history theme is interesting, especially as Louise's interest in the history of the Titanic grows, though I'm not sure how accurate many of the scenes set aboard the ship are in terms of societal norms and dialogue. Louise's growing relationships on board the ship, especially with her maid, are interesting and fun to read about but because Louise is from 2011 and the other characters are stuck permanently in 1912, there is a necessary distance between them that will probably keep readers from getting too emotionally invested in anyone other than Louise. One of the most fun parts of the book was seeing Louise's thoughts while on board the Titanic -- she was humorous and somewhat believable in her reactions to finding herself trapped in the past.

Fashion and the history of fashion really is a huge part of this book and while I'm overwhelmingly fashion illiterate (that's a thing, right?), the story is great for girls who love vintage clothing and are interested in its history. There are quotes from iconic designers, descriptions of clothing that goes deeper than merely stating the brand, and pictures that in the final edition will be full color.

Though from everything I've read this book is being marketed as YA, the writing style and the 12 year old protagonist both seem a bit young and personally I think the book will appeal much more to pre-teens and younger teen girls than it will older teens.